Gateshead Boy 'Too Poorly' For Benefits

"We Feel We Are Being Punished"

The words of Gateshead mum Mandy Kirsopp who tells Metro Radio they face having vital benefits scrapped - because their son is too ill. 7 year old Dylan has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a bowel condition. But his family say they could be losing half their income, as after 12 weeks in hospital the Disability Living Allowance is stopped. The family are even losing their special wheelchair-adapted car – because Dylan is in hospital and not at home. Speaking from Dylan's bedside Mandy told Metro Radio:

"We feel like we're being punished because he's so ill , he's so so poorly, we've been here for ten weeks now....two more weeks and then basically all of our money is gone. It's not cheap to have a child in hospital it's very, very expensive, you've still got the cost of the home to run and he's got his brother at home, we've still got to feed everybody. Yes, the nurses are here to provide a medical service, but they’re not the ones who are sitting up all night cuddling him when he’s unwell."

The Department For Work And Pensions say: "Disability Living Allowance provides a financial contribution towards severely disabled children's care or mobility needs. Those needs are met in full by the NHS when a child is in hospital so stopping DLA prevents double provision. If your child is in hospital when you claim, we won’t usually pay Disability Living Allowance after the first 12 weeks, until they leave. However, we may pay it if they are a private patient and you’re paying without help from the NHS."

You can find out more about Dylan and his family here: